In conventional swimming pools there is generally effected a circulation of water through filters with return of water to the pool via suitable inlets. These inlets can be wall inlets or bottom inlets. For best performance, the water is introduced through bottom inlets and it overflows at the top of the pool into a trench so as to be recirculated back to the inlets via filters and pumps.
It is necessary to use many spaced inlets which require the digging of a multitude of trenches beneath the pool and the placement of pipes in the trenches. A number of fittings are required between the pipes and the inlets and conventionally, these take the form of T's and L's etc. The concrete floor is then poured and a header or headers from the main supply line are joined to the pipes and thereby to the inlets. This involves a great deal of manual labor and frequently is found to have many problems. Thus, if the concrete should break, the lines themselves will also break and leakage will be consequently obtained. It is difficult to locate such leakage and also it is difficult to dig out the concrete and repair the same in sections.
In competition pools where racing takes place, it is necessary to provide racing lanes for the swimmers. These lanes are either defined by the use of ceramic tiles or the lanes are painted directly on the bottom of the pool as bottom markers, and on the walls as wall targets. Other suitable markers are safety lines, and for use in water polo and other games.
It is known to employ a coping which receives overflow water from the pool and which feeds the overflow water into a trench therebelow. An example of such construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,656 to Costello. In the construction in this patent the coping is composed of a plurality of horizontal elongated members connected together and forming spaces between which overflow water flows directly into the underlying trench.
In heated swimming pools, particularly enclosed indoor pools, the pool water is continuously maintained at a temperature between 75.degree. and 85.degree. F. There is a great loss of heat through the shell of the pool to the ground and through the surrounding building walls to the ambient atmosphere. In order to prevent great losses and consequent greater maintenance economy, the swimming pool shells, pool decks and pool enclosures are insulated. Currently it is known to inhibit heat loss in the following respects:
(a) building (pool enclosures)--in all but the southernmost climates heavy insulated walls (R20) and roofs (R30) are considered necessary and employed as a standard. Indeed some electrical utility companies will not supply electrical power for heating purposes when the insulated walls and roofs have "R" values less than those indicated above. Insulation is deemed essential to minimize the cost of fuel in heated pools. PA1 (b) swimming pool shell and pool decks--the pools are generally insulated at present by using insulated concrete which requires the use of greater thicknesses for the same strength of ordinary concrete or by using the same thickness with greater amounts of reinforcing steel. In either case, the cost of construction is increased, sometimes to an undesirable level. A further known method is to insulate the pool shells by providing insulation under the concrete.
In the case of the use of insulation under the decks, this involves problems due to moisture penetration which reduces the insulation properties of the material.
Another method is to provide a granular underbase for the bottom sidewall and decks of the pool as a filling material. However, the insulating value of the materials is distinctly limited.